Before we delve into the best restaurants in Madrid, we should take a moment to consider what a fantastic city Madrid is.
When you are planning a visit to Madrid, you will need to research your travel plans in enormous detail. Start your investigation with the official Madrid Tourist Office.
The International airport of Madrid is the Madrid Barajas Airport. Sometimes referred to as the Adolfo Suarez Airport, is has the code MAD.
For a taste of Spanish culture, the Teatro Real is the Royal Theatre and the home of ballet and opera.
Madrid has a long history of art. The great masters like Goya and Velázquez made their home here.
Barrio de las letras is the literary neighbourhood and is the library quarter of Madrid. Great Spanish writers such as Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Quevedo, Tirso de Molina and Góngora all plied their trade here.
Austrias is the oldest part of Madrid, where you will find the majestic Royal Palace. The Plaza Mayor and Plaza de la Villa are the places to see amazing Spanish architecture. There are buildings dating back to the 15th century.
Best Restaurants in Madrid
I am sure you are feeling just as constrained as I in this time of lockdown and travel restrictions. We had a holiday to Fuengarola cancelled because of the COVID19 scare. Yes, we had our money refunded but, as yet, we have not rebooked the holiday.
My wife is now very wary about any travel and it may be next year before we are feeling brave enough to travel.
It waasn’t a conscious decision to include my travel comments in this Madrid post. However, because Madrid is very much on my must-see list and my parents visited Madrid lasy year, this virtual visit to Madrid has my travel legs itching.
La Latina is the fun centre of Madrid. Here you will find El Rastro, the flea market that you simply must visit. La Latina is also home to the festival of La Paloma.
This is also a fantastic spot to begin your own tapas trail with many delightful tapas bars and cafés for your delectation.
Where to Eat in Madrid
Madrid is one of the biggest cities in Europe. You will be spoilt for choice when you want to find out where to eat in Madrid.
A uniquely Madrid thing to do is to have tapas while you are shopping.
One of the most iconic places in the city is the renovated Mercado de San Miguel where the fashion for combining tapas and shopping began.
The best tapas restaurants in Madrid
El Rastro translates as “The trail” and is a unique open-air flea market held on Sundays and holidays. You will find this on the street Ribera de Curtidores and surrounding area.
Some of the best tapas bars can be found amongst the stalls of bargains and busy shoppers.
The tradition of tapas, in Madrid and other Spanish regions, was started by King Alfonso in the 13th century. In an attempt to reduce public drunkenness, he decreed that all taverns should serve food with alcohol.
Madrid for Foodies
As you might expect for a city with the cultural status of Madrid, Michelin-starred restaurants are not in short supply.
According to the 2020 Michelin Guide. The city now boasts 22 restaurants that are Michelin-starred.
OliverXO has three stars. Santceloni, La Terraza del Casino, Ramón Freixa Madrid, DSTAgE and Coque with two.
The young chef, David Muñoz, has earned OliverXO three Michelin stars with his fantasy cuisine.
6 Lunch Spots in Madrid
A Spanish lunch is often a bite of tapas and a nice glass of rioja. Hungrier diners can indulge in the array of lunch menus provided by the burgeoning restaurant market.
However, the restaurants of Madrid cater to the vegetarian with tantalising recipes created using Spanish-grown garden vegetables.
Furthermore, the proliferation of vegetarian and vegan cafés and bistros is a very welcome sight for the health-conscious dieters amongst us.
Many of these vegetarian dishes use traditional recipes but, a fusion of flavours and textures is created with modern creations.
A Weekend at the best restaurants in Madrid
The essence of a Madrid summer is relaxing at an outdoor café, or terraza, where you can have a drink and a meal. Music is playing, to set the scene and many clubs offer live music gigs or flamenco evenings.
Enjoy unique views of Madrid from the rooftop garden of the Hotel Urban who offer an extensive list of cocktails to finish your evening.
Rooftop Bars in Madrid
It must be a very arduous job to select the 6 best rooftop bars in Madrid.
But, Anneés has risen to the challenge. Madrid is her favourite European city, so she must have had to work very hard to compile her shortlist.
Trendy Neighbourhoods best restaurants in Madrid
With the exception of couples travelling with their kids. Madrid can be seen as a beautiful and romantic city.
But young couples want to be seen in trendy neighbourhoods with fashionable shops and award-winning restaurants.
Perhaps not in the same perceived league as Paris, Rome or Barcelona as destinations of love. Madrid is undoubtedly a serious contender in the vacation market.
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Restaurants in Spain worth exploring